


What Goes Ba-Bump in the Night

by Snapperoni



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Sharing Clothes, Sharing a Bed, because tien's almost gets a heart attack like three times in this fic, chiaotzu's a bastard but thats why we love him, the title's a pun get it it's like a heart beat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:13:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27640517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snapperoni/pseuds/Snapperoni
Summary: Yamcha visits Tien and Chiaotzu and enjoys a quiet meal with them after a day of farming. Nothing extraordinary- until a mysterious event on Yamcha's behalf prevents him from going home for the night.Now having to share a bed with him, how will Tien handle the burst of indescribable emotions he feels towards his friend?
Relationships: Tenshinhan/Yamcha (Dragon Ball)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	What Goes Ba-Bump in the Night

Rushing water from the kitchen sink was only overshadowed by the clattering of various dishes as Yamcha and Tien began finishing their dinner, Chiaotzu already occupying the sink to begin cleaning up. Next to him, a small stack of dried serving dishes had begun to pile up by the time Tien let his chopsticks rest on top of his now-empty bowl.

“Thanks again for dinner, Chiaotzu.” Pushing his chair back, Tien collected his dishes and made his way next to Chiaotzu before gesturing for the dishrag in his hand.

“You don’t have to thank me all the time, I like cooking!” Seeing Tien’s outstretched hand, Chiaotzu only lightly tapped it away and took the bowl from him. “I can clean up back here, don’t worry.”

“It’s the least I could do, Chiaotzu.”

From behind the duo, Yamcha leaned back in his chair just as he too began finishing his meal. “Yeah, Chiaotzu- let us help out!”

Whether it was to solidify his point or he simply decided that Yamcha, much to his own dismay, was done eating tonight, Chiaotzu levitated his bowl out of his grasp and promptly brought it to rest on the unoccupied countertop. “I cooked, so I clean.” Satisfied with his answer, Chiaotzu returned to cleaning the dishes, Tien only staring in mild confusion.

“I’m pretty sure it’s ‘I cook, you clean?’” But Chiaotzu wasn’t paying attention anymore, instead humming a tune to accompany his washing. Giving up, Tien made his way back to his seat to sit in front of Yamcha once more.

“Speaking of helping out, thanks for coming over today.”

Recovering from the disappointment of his dinner being cut short, Yamcha perked up and returned a gleeful grin back to Tien. “Yeah, no problem man. You know I’m always willing to lend a hand. Plus, it’s beautiful out here! You don’t get a view like _this_ in the city.”

Seemingly done with the dishes, Chiaotzu shut the sink off, wiping whatever water was left on his hands onto his pants. “You should visit us more then!” Walking up to Yamcha, he motioned for him to lean down so he could, rather loudly, whisper in his ear. “Especially since Tien misses seeing you.”

If the objective before bed was to embarrass his friend, Chiaotzu certainly succeeded if Tien’s rose-dusted cheeks were any indication. Happy with the result, a mischievous giggle escaping from behind his hand, Chiaotzu started off towards the right side of the house as he waved at the duo, now vanishing behind the thin, translucent curtain that separated the kitchen from the hallway. “Good night! I’m tired.”

The men at the table had very different ways to send off Chiaotzu for the night; Yamcha, seemingly unfazed by his comment, offered a wide smile and a friendly wave. “G’night bud!”

Meanwhile Tien could only really focus on the wall next to Chiaotzu as he meekly raised his hand, his face feeling aflame. “Good night, Chiaotzu…”

Being left alone, Yamcha didn’t waste a second to snap back to face Tien and rest his head atop his hand, his sincere smile now becoming a snarky smirk. “So… A lil’ birdy might’ve just told me _someone_ misses me.” As if that “lil’ birdy’s” rumor wasn’t flustering enough, Yamcha decided to not only to bat his eyes and tilt his head like a puppy would, but the sing-song cheeriness in his tone certainly didn’t make Tien feel any less sheepish.

Tien expected himself to be able to say something- _anything_ for that matter would’ve been great. A snide remark, to play into the joke, or even just telling Yamcha to shut up. But much to his chagrin, Tien could only stutter on his words, incidentally only shaming himself further and earning a snicker from Yamcha.

“Seriously, though. How come you don’t visit me? Maybe we could have a karaoke night.” Glancing around the rather traditional-styled home, he puffed out his cheek. “Or maybe we can go shopping- at least get you a landline…”

Embarrassment subsiding, Tien grimaced. “Yamcha, you know I don’t like crowded places. And what am I going to do with a phone?”

“To call me! And hey- next time we’ve got an emergency it’ll be easier to contact you.”

“The system we’ve got going on now seems fine enough. And when do _we_ ever get emergencies _we_ need to tend to?”

With a groan, Yamcha gradually slid out of his seat, now sitting on the floor. To maintain eye contact with Tien, he propped his chin onto the table. “Why are you the way you are?”

The question was definitely supposed to be an insult, but Tien could only grin at it. Contrasting his near heart attack beforehand, Tien calmly got out of his chair and walked around the table to Yamcha’s side, grabbing him by the elbow and hoisting him onto his feet. “I should get to bed; I’ve got a class to teach tomorrow.”

At such a revelation, Yamcha began to twiddle his fingers, his gaze jumping from Tien to the floor with uncertainty. It would have been obvious to anyone else that Yamcha had an issue on his mind, but Tien just stood there dumbfounded at the display. “...Get home safe. Good night.”

When he began to turn and walk away, Yamcha nearly tripped as he started to follow him. “H-hey, wait!”

“What?”

It was one thing if someone picked up on his hint and he would "naturally" pose his inquiry- it was another thing to have to outright just ask because Tien couldn’t understand body language sometimes. With a deep breath, Yamcha prepared his question. “Do you think I can stay the night? Just for the night! I’ll be gone before you know it.”

Tien quirked a brow at the request. “Why can’t you go home now? You’ve flown at night before.”

Again, Yamcha awkwardly started fidgeting with his fingers, finding sudden interest in the ceiling. “Well… uh. There might have been... an incident.”

“...What _kind_ of incident?” 

A discomforted chuckle slipped as Yamcha looked back at Tien, his expression nothing short of pleading. “My neighbor caught the building on fire.”

Tien wasn’t sure whether to feel concerned or sorry, but he surely wouldn’t push for an explanation and would simply pull the hallway curtain back, wordlessly granting Yamcha permission to stay over.

Due to the rather mind-boggling circumstances that caused Yamcha to stick around, the two failed to realize a problem as they entered Tien and Chiaotzu’s shared bedroom: with Chiaotzu already occupying his own bed, only one was left.

The realization was slow but sure enough when it came they could only stand by the doorway, silently considering what to do next. Tien was the first to propose a solution. “Maybe I can ask Chiaotzu to sleep with me in my bed.”

Yamcha perked at the idea, already tiptoeing his way to the side of Chiaotzu’s bed. “Oh, yeah- good idea!” He lightly placed his hand on Chiaotzu’s shoulder, delicately rocking him. “Hey- pal. Bud. Chiaotzu, you awake? We got a situation.”

For a moment, Tien doubted he would wake up, but it didn’t take too long for his voice to intrude his thoughts. _I’m not moving._

_Chiaotzu, it’ll only be for tonight._

_Just sleep with him._ Now twice that night, Tien’s face reddened while Yamcha was blissfully unaware of the conversation going on.

_I can’t do that._

_Yes you can. Stop being a baby._ With his final message, Chiaotzu snuggled further into his bed and gripped his teddy bear tighter, a smile suddenly appearing on his face.

Getting up, Yamcha scratched his head. “I don’t think he’s gonna wake up...”

“No kidding…”

A moment passed before Yamcha shrugged and sat on the floor, knocking on the carpeted floor. “I could just sleep here- it’s not so bad.”

“You’re not sleeping on the floor,” Tien immediately argued, stepping past Yamcha and opening his dresser before producing two pairs of silk pajamas. “Here- change into this. We’re...” He swallowed, his ears notably getting warmer. “We’re just going to have to share.”

Not so much at the conclusion but rather at the clothes, Yamcha pursed his lips. “You still wear pajamas?”

“You don’t? I don’t want my sheets getting dirty. Now go change.”

“Well I mean-” Although he started a retort, Yamcha figured it wouldn't be worth talking about, especially since he now felt self conscious about his own proper sleepwear- or lack thereof. But even if he was perfectly fine sleeping in his day clothes, Yamcha got up from the floor to retreat to the bathroom to change as per Tien’s wish. He was already overstaying his welcome- it wouldn’t kill anyone to just change. Not to mention the fabric felt incredibly soft and comfortable in his hands, the pale mint-green color being especially alluring.

Now left alone, Tien was forced to confront his feelings as he began changing- or that would’ve been the case if Chiaotzu didn’t invade his mind again to start the conversation for him. _Stop being weird about this._

Disrobing, Tien shot a “sleeping” Chiaotzu a quizzical look. _How can I_ not _be weird about this? This_ is _weird._

 _It’s only weird because you like him,_ Chiaotzu taunted, which earned him nothing but a skeptical snort. Seeming to truly go to sleep this time, Chiaotzu refrained from anymore comments and allowed Tien to consider things by himself while he pushed his arm through the sleeve of his nightshirt.

 _“Like,” he says,_ Tien thought with a huff. “Like” was a weird way to put it- for him at least. Considerably, their relationship started with a hate-filled rivalry, and now it somehow developed into a tight-knit bond, never mind the fact Yamcha was one of very few people he regularly kept in contact with. In a sense, he did like him, that much was true. Of course, there was Launch as well- she, too, taking some time out of her life to visit the farm every now and then. But what he felt for Yamcha was something different. Different in a way he wasn’t entirely sure how, admittedly- but different in a pleasant and almost intoxicating kind of way if he really let himself think about it. Tien had never been good at processing his emotions, never mind expressing them, and that’s what made this whole affair _much_ more difficult.

His mini crisis would have to wait for the time being. By the time Tien was fastening the last button on his shirt, Yamcha entered the room. With Yamcha’s return- in his slightly-larger clothes, nevertheless, the situation incidentally became very apparent and Tien found it difficult to look at him directly.

Contrastingly, Yamcha didn’t seem bothered as he walked over and sat on the edge of Tien’s bed, pressing his palm against the cushy mattress before bringing his legs over to lie down. “Hey, your bed isn’t half bad. Kinda better than mine, actually.” Slipping under the blanket, Yamcha patted the spot next to him.

This very moment was inevitable, but having to go through it was something Tien couldn’t exactly prepare himself for. It especially didn’t help that Yamcha climbed in first, meaning he’d have to crawl over him to reach the other side.

Putting his own hands and knees on the bed, Tien attempted to keep his heart from banging against his chest. All things considered, he did an adequate job at that until he was directly over Yamcha, making the mistake of looking down at him and making direct eye contact, abruptly stopping mid crawl.

Whether because of his own nervousness or in a failed attempt to make things less awkward, Yamcha smiled up at him. “Heya.”

 _“Heya,”_ Tien mocked, practically throwing himself the rest of the way and pressing himself directly against the wall. With the two now actually in bed, it became very apparent the bed was built specifically for Tien’s proportions, as little wiggle room was left lest Yamcha wanted to fall onto the floor.

Attempting to lighten the mood one last time, Yamcha rolled onto his side, not only making the bed space more manageable, but so he could properly talk to Tien. “This isn’t so bad! It’s like a sleepover. Or we could be bundling for warmth in the middle of a blizzard.”

“It’s summer.” _Not to mention we'd have to be cuddling for that._

“Yeah but it’s probably snowing _somewhere.”_

Typically Tien would indulge in Yamcha’s prattling, at the very least finding it entertaining. But the more Yamcha spoke, the more he could feel his breath tickle his neck and the more aware he became that his leg was just barely grazing his own. Although prone to sleeping on his back, Tien, too, rolled onto his side to give himself not only room, but so he could keep Yamcha out of his peripheral.

Gaining no other response, Yamcha turned away and sought to fall asleep. “I’ll see you in the morning, then. G’night.” Even though Yamcha seemed more capable of catching sleep, Tien already knew he was going to have problems getting any rest tonight.

  
  


Time ticked on as cricket chirps rang throughout the night, Tien’s prediction coming to fruition as he could only manage to stare at the wall. He’d tried maybe three times before giving up. It shouldn’t have been so frustratingly hard trying to sleep, but he already knew why sleep was only a fleeting dream. Rolling away from the wall for the first time tonight, Tien became surprisingly close to the sole reason why his body refused to let him slumber; at some point in the night, Yamcha had not only rolled over to face him, but had become mere inches away from him too.

Tien’s heart stopped, his breath hitching out of fear he might awaken his temporary bedmate. He thought of returning to the comfort of the wall, sparing him from having to face whatever fluttering feelings he found growing in his chest the longer he stared at Yamcha’s peaceful form.

But there wouldn’t be any harm in looking a bit longer? He was asleep, after all. And Tien would _only_ look- they’ve looked at each other before. Now wouldn’t be any different from any other time, surely.

It took a solid five seconds for Tien to realize this was absolutely _not_ the same as looking at each other. For one thing, Yamcha was asleep and not aware he was being observed. The other thing would be a byproduct _of_ realizing Yamcha couldn’t stare back at him: it meant Yamcha wouldn’t make any dumb comments or make any dumb faces, so now Tien could actually properly look at him.

Frankly, he’d seen his face plenty of times and had plenty of thoughts about it already- thoughts that generally came to the conclusion that Yamcha was a fairly good-looking man, not that such an opinion was unique to anyone who’s met him. It was more so the fact that now Tien got to be close enough to properly appreciate it and all of its eye-catching subtleties.

A particularly attractive feature first came to be his eyebrows, even if one of them was perpetually scarred and divided in the middle. It was easy to guess he took particular care of them despite of his rugged appearance, for there were nary stray hairs and the brows were cleanly brushed and possibly plucked to a certain shape- not being too broad nor too skinny. As Tien dragged his eyes downward, he came to his nose next, finding it relatively flat but curving to possess a cute button-like quality at the tip.

Tien seized the moment to truly study every bit of Yamcha’s face, taking time to adore his long lashes and the delicate sculpture of his cheekbones. When it came time to look at his lips, he realized he spent so much time on the rest of Yamcha’s face solely to distract himself from them, for he knew he could only refrain from contemplating what it would feel like to touch them.

When he did eventually look, Tien found them to be a pale pink against his tan complexion, and while they weren’t too plump, they maintained a fairly plush appearance, anxiety-induced flaws in the delicate skin now glossed with a faintly sweet-smelling lip balm.

Gripping their shared pillow, Tien found breathing difficult as that fluttering feeling within him only worsened. It was almost nauseous as he felt himself become slightly light headed, prying his eyes to look at the ceiling as he attempted to figure out what was happening to him.

 _Deep breaths, just calm down. It’s not a big deal._ No, it wasn’t a big deal. The big deal would come in the form of shuffling from next to him, Tien casting a side glance to find Yamcha stirring in his sleep. Tien’s lips formed a hardened, straight line as the room became warmer, watching Yamcha clearly responding to a dream of sorts.

By his furrowed brows and tensing body, it clearly wasn’t a good one. Tien contemplated waking him up and calming him down- yet he wouldn’t be able to make a choice as Yamcha’s hand began feeling around the bed, undoubtedly looking for a pillow to hold on to.

It was such a quick and sudden moment, there was no time for Tien to react. Especially not after Yamcha’s arm found itself hugging Tien’s body, bringing himself closer to his new anchor.

On the one hand, Yamcha seemed to start calming down as he burrowed his way into the crook of Tien’s neck and began hooking their legs together, his brow occasionally twitching but his body nevertheless relaxing. On the other hand, whatever breathing exercise Tien forced himself through ten seconds ago became totally obsolete as his face practically caught fire and he began to mildly panic.

Even with three eyes, Tien couldn’t see any feasible way to get out of Yamcha’s hold. Of course he _could_ just wake him up, but some sort of distant voice in the back of his mind convinced him to let it happen and to stop acting like he wasn’t absolutely over the moon right now.

With his eyes frantically searching the room- at this point just to calm himself down and attempt not to acknowledge the six-foot, one-hundred-fifty-pound man on top of him, Tien’s eyes landed on Chiaotzu, who he expected to find asleep. Alternatively, he was the exact opposite- wide awake and clearly reveling in Tien’s freak out, an impish grin upon his face. With his adrenaline running and his mind unclear, Tien forgot he could efficiently communicate with Chiaotzu telepathically as he hopelessly mouthed _“Help me.”_

 _Best friend forever_ was a hollow title evidently, for Chiaotzu did _not_ help and only rolled the other way, officially leaving Tien to deal with his spiraling feelings alone.

Honestly, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was expecting and ultimately couldn’t blame Chiaotzu for quite literally turning the other way. But the shock lingered long enough for him to forget his predicament in the first place, only being reminded when Yamcha’s hold tightened around him.

Looking down, Tien was once more met with Yamcha’s serene face, any traces of dream-induced suffering long gone as his lips were now relaxed into a gentle smile. Despite having spent the past few minutes basically hyperventilating, Tien couldn’t deny that he wasn’t exactly in a terrible position, dare he think the exact opposite. He further dared himself to imagine waking up in the same condition again; the sun peaking through the small window in his room, its rays illuminating Yamcha’s features and somehow enhancing already perfect details. If that wasn’t a gift from the universe already, then spending the first few moments of the morning with Yamcha- seeing him lazily lift his head and probably say something stupid to ultimately tarnish the moment, would be nothing short of immaculate as well.

Tien’s feelings were still a mystery to him, but they were something he would make himself push back to the nether regions of his brain, never to think of ever again. For now, he allowed himself to snake his arm out from under Yamcha only to wrap it around him, gently pulling him closer and securing his spot next to him. A surge of courage pulsed through Tien as he risked the chance of waking Yamcha to readjust himself, returning the embrace and wrapping his other arm over him to hold him close.

Trying to explain their position to each other in the morning would be an interesting task, but for now Tien found himself able to fall asleep at last, his breathing under control and his heart emitting passionate, evenly-paced thumps.


End file.
